Falling statue kills 2-year-old in S.F.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A 2-year-old Utah boy was killed when a 6-foot-tall dolphin statue fell on him in the Fisherman’s Wharf area of San Francisco, police said Monday.

The toddler was apparently playing on Friday when he climbed up and wrapped his arms and legs around the heavy metal statue outside Majestic Collection Art Gallery, bringing it down, police spokesman Officer Gordon Shyy said.

The boy was initially treated for a nose bleed by emergency crews. He was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, where he died from internal injuries a few hours later.

The medical examiner identified the boy as Kayson Shelton of Draper, Utah, about 20 miles south of Salt Lake City.

“It’s an unfortunate and tragic incident,” Shyy said.

The boy was visiting San Francisco with vacationing family members who were staying at a nearby hotel.

The store violated a city code and was cited for placing an object or merchandise on a sidewalk where it impedes pedestrian traffic, Shyy said. It was not known how much the statue weighed, he said.

Calls to the store on Monday were not immediately returned.

The family has returned home to Utah. A call to their residence on Monday was not immediately returned.